victory in newport

I pulled out of Newport, Rhode Island on a crisp Thursday morning after spending the last two days working with David Pedrick, a Webb alumnus from the Class of 1970 on the Haida project. One of my tasks this summer is to move the watertight bulkhead arrangement project along so that ABS can approve construction drawings, and Haida can be one step closer to satisfying the most stringent, modern rules and regulations. David and I spent time in February surveying Haida to determine the least obtrusive locations to install additional watertight bulkheads. For the non-naval architects in the readership, watertight bulkheads allow a vessel to be compartmentalized under the main deck to increase the survivability of the vessel in the event of a breach of the hull. Yes, it's the same concept that almost worked for the RMS Titanic. For compartmentalization to work, the entire compartment has to be watertight. In other words, water should not be able to spill over the top of one bulkhead into the next compartment. This past week we laid the proposed bulkheads over a general arrangement of the vessel to see how the bulkheads would affect crew and guest movement and piping and ducting runs. I will use these preliminary drawings in Sharjah to assess whether the proposed locations are the most convenient for ease of construction.

The buzz word this week has been "iterative," as in design is an iterative process. Iteration works well on paper and computer screens. In AutoCAD, mere key strokes and mouse movements can reposition the bulkhead in seconds. When one starts to iterate a design that has already been built, complications arise, particularly in ship design. On a ship, yacht, or even your neighbor's small fishing boat, each system interacts with all of the other systems. A minor change to one component will likely require a change on several other components in other systems. Again, iteration or design changes work well on paper. System changes in the real world can require removing existing systems to gain access to change the design. Do that over and over again for, say, ten years, and you can see why a solid design plan can make the difference between a quick refit and a long overhaul.

Newport offered many new experiences to me beyond working in David's office. On Lynn's recommendation, I had lobster quesadillas at the Red Parrot on South Thames Street. I toured the Newport Shipyard and saw a great collection of 12-m America's Cup boats. David was a principal member of the design team for several of the boats; he had a story for each boat we encountered. (The weather was overcast on the day that we looked at the 12-m boats; I'll take pictures when I return to Newport in early August.)

The Red Parrot

Of course, that same crisp Thursday morning that I was trying to make way for New York to fly home, the BMW Oracle racing team landed in Newport as part of the victory tour. Although the impressive catamaran wasn't in attendance, the fruit of BMW Oracle's hard fight was – the America's Cup trophy. The stately, silver cup stood atop a carbon fiber pedestal -- a true juxtaposition of the old world tradition and modern technology. After meeting a formidable “who’s who” from the sailing community, I loaded up the Jeep and raced back to Glen Cove to catch the train for my flight home.

The America's Cup

I’ll be home for five days before flying over to Dubai. Those five days will be my summer vacation, so I won’t be updating the blog during that time. Rest assured, we’ll have plenty to discuss once I get back to the Middle East. Enjoy the Fourth of July weekend!

Posted in: america's cup,haida,leisure photos,newport,traveling